1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an atomizer, such as a perfume container, and more particularly to an atomizer, which includes a bellows-shaped container body that can prevent undesired entry of air.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional atomizer 1 is shown to include a container body 11, a nozzle head unit 12 that is mounted threadedly on to a top end of the container body 11 and that can be operated to discharge a liquid from the container body 11, a large piston 13 that is disposed movably within the container body 11, a bottom cover 14 for closing a bottom opening 111 in the container body 11, and a top cover 15 for covering a top end of the container body 11.
Referring to FIG. 2, the container body 11 has a liquid-containing chamber 110 that is defined above the large piston 13 and that is filled with the liquid, and an externally threaded upper end 112 that is threaded to the nozzle head unit 12. The nozzle head unit 12 includes a nozzle head 121, a vertical inner straw 122 that is attached to a lower end of the nozzle head 121, and a vertical outer straw 123 that is sleeved on the inner straw 122 and that receives the liquid within a lower portion thereof. A small piston 124 is disposed within the outer straw 123, and is sleeved movably on the inner straw 122. A coiled first compression spring 125 is also sleeved on the inner straw 122, and is disposed above the small piston 124 so as to bias the small piston 124 downward. A coiled second compression spring 126 is sleeved on the inner straw 122 so as to bias a ball 127 downward, thereby closing a bottom end opening of the outer straw 123. As such, the spring-loaded ball 127 serves as a check valve that limits liquid flow from the container body 11 into the nozzle head unit 12.
Referring to FIG. 3, when a force is applied to the nozzle head 121 in a downward direction, the inner straw 122 moves downward to compress the first and second compression springs 125, 126. The compressed first compression spring 125 presses against the ball 127, thereby closing the bottom end opening in the outer straw 123. The compressed second compression spring 126 moves the smaller piston 124 downward to press against a shoulder 1231 of the outer straw 123 so that the liquid is ejected from a chamber 1232 that is defined between the ball 127 and the small piston 124. The ejected liquid flows into the inner straw 12 via two aligned horizontal holes 1221 in the inner straw 12, and is discharged from the nozzle head 121. Subsequently, the restoration force of the first and second compression springs 125, 126 move the inner straw 122 and the small piston 124 upward such that the small piston 124 closes the holes 1221 in the inner straw 12, thereby preventing spraying-out of the liquid from the nozzle head 121. When the small piston 124 moves upward in the outer straw 123, because the bottom cover 14 is formed with a vent 141, the large piston 13 moves upward in the container body 11 from a position shown in solid lines to that shown in phantom lines, thereby permitting flow of the liquid from the chamber 110 in the container body 11 into the chamber 1232 in the nozzle head unit 12. The aforesaid conventional atomizer 1 suffers from a disadvantage in that there is a need for a relatively high precision during manufacture and assembly of the container body 11 and the large piston 13 in order to achieve an air-tight seal therebetween.
The object of this invention is to provide an atomizer with a bellows-shaped container body that can prevent undesired entry of air into a liquid-containing chamber in the container body and that can reduce the manufacturing precision requirement.
According to this invention, an atomizer includes a flexible container body and a nozzle head unit. The container body includes a bellows-shaped surrounding wall, a bottom wall having an outer periphery that is formed integrally with a bottom end of the surrounding wall so as to define a closed bottom end of the container body, and a liquid-containing chamber defined within the surrounding wall and above the bottom wall and adapted to be filled with liquid. The nozzle head unit is attached to a top end of the surrounding wall, and can be operated so as to contract the container body, thereby discharging the liquid from the container body via the nozzle head unit. Because air can gain access into the chamber only via the nozzle head unit, undesired entry of air into the chamber can be prevented effectively. As such, there is no need for a high precision during manufacture and assembly of the atomizer.